adjectiveEtymology: French, from Latin ostensus, past participle of ostendere to show, from obs-, ob- in the way + tendere to stretch — more at ob-, thinDate: circa 17711. intended for display ; open to view
2. being such in appearance ; plausible rather than demonstrably true or real <

ostensible — ostensible, ostensive Ostensible means ‘apparent but not necessarily real’ or ‘professed’: • Despite their ostensible commitment to revolution, they played an ambivalent and ultimately counter revolutionary role E. Acton, 1992. It is often used… … Modern English usage